<p> The Emergency Immigrant Education Act of 1984 (EIEA) was passed by the 98th U.S. Congress to provide funds to states to "meet the costs of providing immigrant children supplementary educational services" (Emergency Immigrant Education Act of 1984, Title VI, Sec. 607). This study analyzes the culture, values, and political context in which the Emergency Immigrant Education Act of 1984 was developed, passed, and amended through its most recent reauthorization. EIEA is the only federal legislation that specifically targets new immigrant students. However, EIEA has been largely overlooked by education policy analysts, because new immigrant students are rarely considered as different from limited English proficient (LEP) students. The study employs historical document and content analysis, applying Kingdon's (2011) theoretical framework of agenda-setting and Manna's (2006) concept of borrowing strength to explain EIEA's path to the agenda. In addition, it applies McDonnell and Elmore's (1987) policy framework to EIEA to understand how policymakers sought to realize EIEA's goals, as well as that of Wirt, Mitchell, and Marshall (1988) to identify the cultural and political values revealed in the rhetoric of the legislation. In tracing EIEA's 30-year route, I describe how the nature of the legislation changed from a primarily capacity-building policy to more of an inducement. In addition, the study revealed a change in an egalitarian culture to one that emphasizes quality.</p>

<p> In the spring of 2012, Kansas became the first state in the nation to integrate social, emotional, and character development (SECD) education into a set of state standards to heighten Kansas' K-12 students' academic and life skills, thus requiring all current and future teachers to be versed in this type of education. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how department leaders and professors of teacher-education programs in Wichita, Kansas, perceived a restructured SECD teaching curriculum was necessary to enhance their preservice teacher curriculums. Two research questions and four sub-questions explored perceptions of the three department leaders and four professors from each faculty of Wichita's three teacher-education departments regarding the significance and necessity of Kansas' new social, emotional, character development (SECD) state standards. Data were collected via an online questionnaire, personal interviews, and departmental documents. Assimilated results between the three departments were mixed. The emergence of three themes centered on the lack of knowledge of the new standards, the use and integration of dispositions, and the importance of strong leadership. All respondents indicated the significance of the new standards, with respondents from two of the departments alluding to the possibility of the new standards being integrated at some future point into their curriculums. The implications for this study, which was the first of its kind in Kansas, supported both the significance and necessity for the new state SECD standards, and the importance of strong leadership in higher education when making curricular changes and adjustments.</p>

<p> Research indicates that families are the fastest growing segment of the homeless population in the country (National Alliance to End Homelessness, 2011). The rise in the number of homeless families has resulted in a dramatic increase in the number of homeless students (Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, 2013; Flannery, 2010). In recent years, the number of District of Columbia homeless families with children has significantly increased (The Homeless Children's Playtime Project [HCPP], 2012), and as of February 2013, more than 601 high school homeless students were enrolled in District of Columbia Public High Schools (DCAYA, 2013). Using mixed methods research, the study collected data from 95 homeless participants (16-21 years) to construct a demographic and educational profile of Black high school-aged homeless youth residing in District of Columbia homeless shelters. The study examined the factors that facilitate or impede the learning outcomes of these youth. The data analysis revealed that 31.66% of the respondents' struggle to find enough food to eat, 59.75% when faced with shelter shortages sleep in abandoned properties and city parks (34.45%), and (37.95%) sleep in city public streets (37.95%). In addition, 74.76% of the study sample "plans to keep going to school". Logistic Regression was performed and indicated that the variables (Multiethnic Identity, Ego Resiliency, and Life Orientation) are significant predictors of grade completion.</p>

<p> This qualitative grounded analysis involved exploring the knowledge and understanding school principals have on teacher evaluations and the connections to students&rsquo; scores on the Colorado Student Assessment Program (CSAP). The problem was that Colorado does not have a comprehensive and consistent standards-based teacher evaluation system managed by highly trained administrative evaluators capable of providing evaluation marks representative of actual teacher performance and competency levels based on student achievement from CSAP results. The purpose of this qualitative grounded analysis was to create a theoretical model based on the exploration of the knowledge and understanding school principals have on teacher evaluations being connected to students&rsquo; Colorado Student Assessment Program (CSAP) scores in order to effectively evaluate teacher performance in the classroom. The research questions examined and analyzed data from the perspective of school principals on teacher evaluation proficiency marks and student proficiency scores on the CSAP. Interview responses from 10 school principals were analyzed with the NVivo qualitative analysis software revealing emerging themes. Critical analysis of the themes produced courses of action and recommendations for school principals to improve the evaluation process of teachers as connected to student CSAP scores to improve classroom instruction. Key results indicated a need for school principals to consider the themes of classroom environment; funding, administrative support, and an over haul of teacher contracts that include compensation and advancement. </p>

<p> Whether in slavery or in freedom, African Americans understood the important role education played in their quest towards citizenship. As enslaved people, they risked their lives to learn to read and write so they would be prepared when freedom came their way. As free people, they continued to strive for an education that would move them beyond their prescribed station in life. Throughout the history of African Americans, they actively pursued their educational aspirations instead of patiently waiting for them to be granted. </p><p> The research associated with educational agency before and after the Civil War provides some insight into the ways African Americans worked towards liberation. From paying for their own teachers to building their own schools, African Americans are primary players in the narrative of educational advancements in the South. These stories of agency are in direct contrast to the stories of Northern philanthropists being responsible for African American education in the Southern states. Many of these narratives of African American agency are relatively new to the field and don't take into account border states such as Missouri. </p><p> This dissertation looks at African American educational agency in St. Louis, Missouri, a city in a state that was North enough to be in the Union, but South enough to permit slavery. Because of this dichotomy of ideology, Missouri is usually left out of discussions on issues of race and education because it did not neatly fit into a geographical region. Instead of asking how and why Missouri fit into the national narrative of African American education, such questions were merely a footnote, if they were mentioned at all. </p><p> Instead of viewing the duality of Missouri's state identity as something to be ignored, this dissertation views it as a challenge to propel the story of African American educational agency in St. Louis to center stage. Starting with the creation of an African American school board in the 1860s through the construction of Vashon High School in 1927, the story of African American agency is told through the lens of the citizens' councils that were organized to advocate for educational advancement. The men who comprised the citizens' councils worked tirelessly to insure that the educational dreams of former enslaved people were realized generation after generation.</p>

<p> The descriptive qualitative case study examined the resources nonpublic school staff members used to manage severe maladaptive behaviors and to facilitate the reintegration of students with severe maladaptive behaviors into public schools. The case study involved the participation of 17 nonpublic school staff members in semi-structured audio-recorded phone interviews. Case study participants shared personal thoughts and opinions about (a) best practices employed to manage severe maladaptive behaviors, (b) the operation of nonpublic schools, and (c) the factors that influenced reintegration into public school. Analysis of case study responses using NVivo 9.0 qualitative analysis software revealed five themes related to the research question: (a) maintaining safety, (b) resources and strategies, (c) opportunities for interaction in the community and with typical peers, (d) reintegration process, and (e) suggestions to public school staff. Data analysis also resulted in identification of 10 recommendations to educational leaders regarding strategies and resources for management of severe maladaptive behaviors as well as enhancing the reintegration process. Findings corroborated literature that indicated nonpublic staff members received specialized training and assistance from specialists to manage severe maladaptive behaviors respondents (Day &amp; Prunty, 2010). Findings also confirmed further research is necessary about the reintegration process and how to enhance communication between educational settings.</p>

<p> High school exit exams have become a popular policy tool in states as well as districts and even schools as a means of improving student achievement and holding students accountable. Despite the extensive use of these exams, the behavioral responses to them and their impact on student outcomes are not fully understood. This study used a nationally representative longitudinal data set&mdash;the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002&mdash;which tracked students starting in the spring of the 10th grade to explore the extent to which exit exam policies were associated with transfer behavior and student attainment outcomes. Transfer behavior was of interest because past research has found that schools that were successful in improving student achievement outcomes were not as successful in keeping transfer and dropout rates low (Rumberger &amp; Palardy, 2005). Transfer behavior was conceptualized as a mediator to the likelihood of earning a regular high school diploma. </p><p> The logistic regression models used to answer the study's research questions found no evidence that statewide exit exams impacted the likelihood of transfer between the 10th and 12th grades or attainment of a regular high school diploma. There was also little evidence that the intensity of the exit exam, as measured using a composite indicator developed by the author, was associated with transfer or attainment outcomes, although the intensity may be influenced by the longevity of the policies. </p><p> Using a broader identification of exit exams that incorporated statewide exit exams, school-initiated exit exams, or locally mandated exit exams identified by school administrators, there was some limited evidence that exit exams were associated with an increased likelihood of transfer and decreased likelihood of earning a regular high school diploma. These results were particularly evident for the bottom quartile of performers on an achievement test (those most likely to fail an exit exam), while having no apparent impact on the top quartile of performers. The findings of this study suggest that school-initiated or locally mandated exit exam policies may be a confounding factor in analyses of the impact of statewide high school exit exam policies. Recommendations for future research and policy are discussed.</p>

<p> Rooted in Freirean pedagogy and using the Life Story Interview as a methodological tool, this dissertation research provides insight into the preparation, performance, and resilience of urban high school teachers and explores the viability of the Life Story Approach to reveal an alternative means of researching a teacher's approach to instructional pedagogy. This dissertation examines how a White female teacher's life story has informed her liberatory approach to teaching writing as an act of freedom in her urban high school classroom in Oakland, California. Observations of how the formation of a teacher's identity and instructional approach were influenced by her experiences in the world are explored in her story. This dissertation argues that if liberatory approaches and a critical literacy framework were considered within the context of seminal research on secondary writing instruction, teacher preparation programs and instructional pedagogy in urban classrooms would be compelled to change. These approaches are necessary to raise the critical consciousness of urban educators committed to serving low- income students of color in our nation's public schools and to inform instructional pedagogy and transform urban students' experiences in school and society. Implications for teacher preparation and approaches to curriculum development are considered.</p>

<p> Students who declare a major follow a sequence of courses beginning with the introductory course in the major that is usually defined as a 100-level, or freshman level course. This introductory class is called a gateway class, as students must complete this course to register for the next sequence of courses within their major. This study examined and measured the relationship between first-time, full-time freshman, college students who attempted a gateway class within their declared major during their first semester of college and the retention of these students to their second semester. The study also analyzed retention rates for students who declared a major, completed a class, but not the gateway class in their major and the retention rate for these students. Finally, the study analyzed students who did not declare a major, completed a class, and the retention rate for these students. The findings in this study suggests first-time, full-time freshman students who declared a major and successfully completed the gateway class were more likely to persist, then students who were unsuccessful with the gateway class, or students who declared a major, completed a class, but not the gateway class in their major. To improve retention of first-time, full-time freshman students, the results of this study indicate changes are warranted in the way students are advised with regard to which classes they should complete in their first semester of college. </p>

<p>Death is perhaps the most paramount loss an individual can experience. Many faculty, administrators, and students do not anticipate the sudden death of a student or classmate; however it is estimated that approximately 30 to 40 percent of college students experience the death of a family member or friend within two years on campus. Despite these astounding statistics, the topics of student death, grief, and bereavement are rarely discussed in faculty development workshops or addressed in nursing education journals. Much research has been devoted to end of life care among practicing nurses. Conversely, there is scant nursing research pertaining to the personal experiences and grief reactions following the loss of a friend or nursing classmate. </p><p> The aim of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the grief experiences, coping strategies, and reactions of traditional college age baccalaureate nursing students following the unanticipated, sudden death of a classmate. Purposive sampling yielded nine participants from four universities who experienced the death of their classmate within the previous nine months. The source of qualitative data included a demographic questionnaire and in-depth interviews with each participant. Interviews were digitally recorded, and verbatim transcriptions were analyzed utilizing the seven-step Colaizzi&rsquo;s (1978) method. Nine major themes emerged: 1) emotional pain of grief, 2) struggling with the reality of death, 3) void in life &ldquo;empty desk&rdquo;, 4) university and departmental responsiveness, 5) connecting with the deceased, 6) bond of comfort and unity, 7) coping and support structures, 8) linger/dwell versus moving on, and 9) grief as a nurse. </p><p> Findings of this study support contemporary models of grief and bereavement and previous research related to peer grief. However, unique aspects of grief emerged for the nursing student. The participants reflected on their emotional struggle with grief amidst the walls of academia, acknowledging they are in a helping profession and &ldquo;we cannot even help one of our own.&rdquo; This study yielded a rich understanding of the grief experience of nursing students, while providing insights for policy development and supportive interventions for nursing faculty and college administrators. </p><p> <i>Keywords</i>: nursing education, grief and loss, bereavement, nursing student, peer grief, sudden death </p>